The present invention relates to an improvement in button thread strengtheners and their applications to the threads, new or old, in the process of affixing buttons to base fabric; the buttons and threads serving as fasteners for garments or other applications. More specifically, the invention relates to the problem of prolonging functionality and anchoring against loss of buttons which are weakly affixed, by weakened or damaged threads, to the base fabric.
It cannot be denied that society's pace today has multiplied exponentially in a few short years over what it was before with the advent of instant communication throughout the world in the form of cellular phone proliferation and the Internet. The business pace is frantic. Growth seems unstoppable. Meetings, business or semi-social, abound to continuously fuel this growth. Any advantage one may garner over any potential competitor is critical. Appearance at important meetings weighs in heavily as a potential advantage. How often, and unexpectedly, does it occur that, immediately prior to an important meeting, after conducting a last-minute of one's appearance, does that person notice a loosely hanging button; with its ultimate detachment from the garment [shirt, pants, jacket, suit, etc.] imminent. Whether loose or missing, the appearance quotient has been undermined.
A person in this situation is strapped for time; time better spent on last-minute preparations for the important meeting. Time now must be expended on button repair in the form of sewing in strengthening threads or seeking a replacement garment. There have been no `quick fixes` to this scenario which, undoubtedly, plays out regularly on a daily basis. One prior art patent in particular relates to button bonding (McKenna Pat. No. 3,816,200) and another relates to strengthening and/or coating fibers (Girgis WO 98/08777).
McKenna on the one hand provides for bonding the surface of the button, before, a need exists. McKenna clearly points out that application of bonding agents are to be applied only to the button surface, not allowing the agent to wet the newly-sewn thread bundle or to penetrate below the surface such that, should the agent penetrate below the surface, the flexibility of the button would be adversely affected. McKenna teaches a protective capping and bonding of the thread portions crossing the face of the button. The bonding agent in McKenna is selected to have a controlled degree of penetrability on the specific thread being used such that penetration of the bonding agent into the threads will be limited to substantially the region of application of the bonding agent and not below the surface.
Girgis, on the other hand, teaches the application of bonding agents/liquids to fiber strands (coated fiber strands, composites and assemblies, and the like) while in the manufacture process and, in particular, for industrial purposes and uses. More particularly, Girgis addresses new manufacture of machinery elements (hoses) for industrial application and not for consumer application and clearly not for garments or button threads thereon. Moreover, the Girgis process is extremely complex and requires a good deal of surface preparation to ensure proper bonding. In this regard, all fibers and materials must be pre-coated or primed with other specific substances. The Girgis invention provides for an aqueous secondary coating composition adapted to coat a fiber strand having thereon a primary layer of sizing composition which is different from the secondary coating composition. Girgis details the manufacture process which requires a relatively `clean` and pre-treated state for the process to work properly and as intended. The Girgis invention does not, and cannot, apply to strengthening fibers in the post-manufacture use, unclean, and weakened state; i.e., loose thread or threads on buttons.
My invention, unlike all prior art inventions, entails application to a weakened, button-holding, thread while that thread is still in use, such that the thread, from top to bottom, is strengthened immediately and the button retained in place on the garment. The invention is a fast-acting, long-lasting, thread bonding composition. It is non-flammable, has minimal odor, enjoys an EPA rating for Health of 0, and has a long shelf-life. It dries and cures to a relatively colorless (non-ambering) hardened state to preserve the aesthetics of the garment. After curing, the material is tough and durable, capable of withstanding repeated washing and hot drying cycles with minimal loss of strength. In application, by capillary action, it wets the threads of the tread-button assembly, from the button to the base fabric, while also wetting the threads contacting the button and, in the process, additionally wetting the base fabric immediately adjacent the threads. By surface tension, the solution draws the separate threads of the thread bundle together as it dries and cures, thereby forming a single, bonded-thread shank (or thread bundle) to thereafter securely hold the button to the base fabric. None of the prior art is suited to this purpose and manner of application.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are to:
a. provide an easy and convenient `mending` of weakly attached or loose buttons on garments; PA1 b. provide a quick and durable mend of weakly attached or loose buttons on garments; PA1 c. permit repeated use of the solution based on its extended shelf-life; PA1 d. not interfere with the aesthetics of a garment and threads to which the solution is applied by virtue of its non-ambering properties; and PA1 e. make available to the public an economical and trouble-free button mender.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or by modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.